


Forget Me Not

by butterflyslinky



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Humor, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 01:15:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10629114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflyslinky/pseuds/butterflyslinky
Summary: Fighting isn't always a bad thing.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place around mid-season 3.

Miles sat down in Quark’s and glanced across the room. He spotted Julian there, looking rather upset and confused. As Miles started to get up, though, he was intercepted by Dax.

“Evening, Chief,” she said.

“Evening,” he said. “Shouldn’t you be sitting with Julian?”

Dax glanced across the room. “Oh…no, he’s waiting for Garak.”

“Oh.” Miles nodded. “So why’s he looking so upset?”

Dax shrugged. “Probably because Garak’s been picking fights with him all day.”

Miles snorted. “Well, that’s nothing new,” he commented. “Cardassians flirt by fighting—Julian should know that by now, he’s been dating one for about a year.”

“Exactly a year,” Dax corrected. “Today’s their anniversary.”

Miles’s felt even more confused. “So why’s Julian looking so glum?” he asked.

“I don’t think he’s remembered yet,” Dax confided. “We just got back from our last mission and he’s been run ragged trying to catch up on his paperwork.”

Just then, Quark came over. “Talking about Bashir?” he said, nodding toward the doctor. “Two strips says the fight will last twenty minutes.”

“How d’you know there’s gonna be a fight?” Miles asked.

“Always is on an anniversary,” Quark said. “Let me guess—Bashir ‘forgot’ that it’s today.”

“How…”

“Cardassian custom,” Quark explained. “When there’s an anniversary, one of the parties involved pretends to forget about it so that the other one can start a fight. Since that’s foreplay for them, it usually gets very heated and then they rent a holosuite to work out their differences. Garak came by earlier and put in a reservation for about an hour from now, so I’m guessing he’s going to be late on purpose to ‘get back’ at Bashir for forgetting.”

“There’s only one problem,” Dax said, her voice low. “Julian really did forget…Garak’s going to come in late and Julian will just forgive him.”

“Well, that’s a problem,” Quark agreed. “Maybe someone should go tell him to fight with Garak.”

“But if we explain all this to him, he won’t do it well,” Miles pointed out. “You know Julian…wears his heart on his sleeve, can’t tell a lie! If he knows it’s just a fake fight, he’ll be smiling through the whole thing!”

“But if he starts fighting for real, Garak will figure out he actually did forget,” Dax pointed out. “Same as if he just sits there and forgives him.”

“Not really,” Quark said. “After a full year, he knows the finer points of arguing as flirting…they do it twice a week and it always sounds real.”

“So we need to get them to really fight,” Dax said. “Otherwise, Garak will know Julian forgot and that would hurt the relationship.”

“Right,” Miles said. He finished his drink and stood up. “I think I can do that…Dax, waylay Garak and make sure he sees what’s happening…keep him from storming over for say…ten minutes?”

“That should do it,” Dax said.

“Quark, bring me a bottle of Scotch,” Miles ordered before he headed across the room.

Julian looked up as he approached and gave him a small smile. “Hello, Miles,” he said.

“Evening,” Miles said. “Care for a game of darts?”

“Oh…thank you, Chief, but I’m waiting for Garak.” Julian sighed pathetically. “He said he’d meet me here ten minutes ago...I suppose he got distracted with his work.”

Quark came over with the Scotch and two glasses. Miles poured them each one. “Understandable,” he said. “You get caught up in work all the time.”

Julian looked upset again. “What’s wrong?” Miles asked.

“Garak’s been fighting with me all day,” he said. “Ever since we woke up, he’s been looking for something…normally it’s fun, but it seems more serious today...he keeps saying I care more about Starfleet than I do about him…” He downed the whiskey and poured another shot.

“And what did you say back?” Miles asked.

“That I’m sorry and I’ll try to make more time for him,” Julian answered. “Not that it seems to matter, since he’s late…”

“You should tell him that,” Miles said. “You should stand up for yourself…tell him that you…like him…but that your work comes first.”

“I thought he understood that!” Julian said.

“How can he understand anything when you just apologize?” Miles asked.

“I don’t just apologize,” Julian argued. “We argue sometimes, over…silly things, but he’s been fighting about serious things today and I don’t know what to say except I’m sorry!”

“You’ve got to fight back!” Miles insisted. “Let him know you won’t fold to his every demand just because he’s your boyfriend!”

Julian took another sip of whiskey. “You’re right,” he said. “I shouldn’t let him walk over me…if he’s going to be late, I won’t wait for him!” He turned. “How about that game?”

Miles smiled. “Love to,” he said.

Miles had just made his first throw when Garak came into the bar. As promised, Dax skipped over to him right away and started talking about a dress she wanted to order. Miles kept half an eye on them, making him miss rather badly. Garak smiled indulgently at first, but even Miles could tell that Garak’s patience grew shorter the longer Dax talked.

Julian didn’t seem to have noticed Garak when he stepped up to make his throws. He had just hit the board (rather well, for being two drinks in), when Garak came storming over.

“Well,” Garak commented as Julian returned the darts to Miles. “I can see that your work is clearly the most important thing. Or did you forget we had an engagement tonight?”

“Did I forget?” Julian snapped. “I’ve been waiting thirty minutes for you! Forgive me for not just sitting at a table alone all night while you whiled away the hours sewing ballgowns!”

Miles caught a look of triumph on Dax’s face. He slowly backed away from the glaring couple.

“Well, since you think your work is so important that you can make me wait until ungodly hours to eat dinner, I figured you could wait a few minutes for me to come have drinks with you!” Garak snapped. “Or was it all just an excuse to continue playing your silly human games with your silly human friend?”

“I don’t insult your hobbies!” Julian snapped back, his voice rising in volume. “Do you want to know what I really think of Kotra? I think it’s self-indulgent, boring and impossible to learn because you always cheat!”

“I don’t cheat!” Garak shouted back. “You just don’t like to admit that someone has a higher intellect than you! Or would you rather I continue to be impressed that you finished second at medical school?”

“I don’t expect you to be impressed with anything!” Julian shouted. “Being so cold and Cardassian and above-it-all!”

People were backing away now. Miles slipped away and went back to Dax. Neither Julian nor Garak seemed to notice.

“Cold and above it all?” Garak spat. “You’re one to talk, Mr. Brilliant Doctor, always heading off on the new discovery and not remembering the things you claim to value!”

“Like what?” Julian shouted.

“Like what? LIKE WHAT?”

“They’re getting around to it,” Dax whispered.

“I’ve had enough of this, Garak!” Julian snapped. “You’ve been at me all day and I’m sick of it! Now, either you tell me what you really want or I…I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” Garak asked. “Leave me? A tragedy, I’m sure. One short year with you and you’re already tired of me and my ways. I should have known.”

“One…” Julian stopped, his eyes going wide. He was frozen for a minute before he recovered. “You won’t get rid of me that easy,” he said, his voice suddenly colder and quieter. “I’ve been with you an entire year, and I intend to be with you for many more to come.”

“Is that so?” Garak asked, the hint of a smile creeping onto his face. “And how exactly do you plan to keep me that long?”

Julian’s answer was to grab the front of Garak’s tunic and pull him into a deep kiss.

Miles decided it was time to leave.

*

Miles tried not to be obvious as he watched Julian come into Ops the next morning. Dax wasn’t even pretending, watching surreptitiously over her console.

Julian looked awful. He walked slightly stiffly and when his collar and sleeves shifted just so, Miles could see bruises on Julian’s neck and wrists. But Julian was smiling and looking rather relaxed, so he must have been fine.

Sisko raised his eyebrows as Julian came over to deliver the morning report. “Good morning, Doctor,” Sisko said.

“Morning, sir,” Julian answered. “Here’s the reports from yesterday.”

“And when can I expect the results from your mission from last week?” Sisko asked.

Julian did look a little guilty. “Day after tomorrow, sir,” he said. “I meant to get them done last night, but…well, um, Garak and I had a bit of a…disagreement that we had to sort out and I really need to make it up to him tonight, so…”

Sisko smirked. “Say no more,” he said. “Congratulations on your anniversary.”

Julian nodded and headed back toward the turbolift. He paused for a moment to whisper with Dax before leaving.

Miles wandered towards Dax. “What was that about?” he asked.

“He asked why I didn’t remind him,” Dax said. “And I said it’s not my job to keep his calendar.”

“Well, he seems happy,” Miles said. “So I’d call it a success.”

“Agree,” Dax said. “But next year, he’d best stick with flowers.”


End file.
